Psychology: Critical Thinking and Development

Critical Thinking

• Defined as smart thinking; involves examining assumptions, assessing sources, uncovering hidden values, weighing evidence, and assessing conclusions.
• Challenges popular beliefs: sleepwalkers don't act out dreams; past experiences aren't recalled verbatim; high self-esteem isn't always positive; opposites don't always attract.
• Findings: brain tissue loss leads to long-term effects; newborns recognize their mother's odor; brain damage can lead to the development of new skills; electric shock can treat depression.

Psychology: Science's Birth and Development

• Early definition: the science of mental life (sensations, images, thoughts, emotions).
• Branches: structuralism (Wundt) focused on the structure of the mind; functionalism (James, influenced by Darwin) focused on how the mind functions.
• Major forces: behaviorism (observable behavior); psychoanalytic psychology (unconscious mind and childhood experiences).
• Cognitive psychology: study of mental processes (perception, learning, memory, thinking, communication, problem-solving).
• Cognitive neuroscience: interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with mental processes.
• Current definition: the science of behavior and mental processes (observable actions and internal experiences).

Today's Psychology

• Emphasizes the scientific method for asking and answering questions.
• Diverse applications: psychology departments, medical schools, law schools, business schools, theological seminaries.
• Subfields: biological (brain-mind link); developmental (changes across lifespan); cognitive (perception, thinking, problem-solving); personality (persistent traits); social (social influence); health (health-related factors); industrial-organizational (workplace behavior).
• Impact: psychological knowledge modifies attitudes and behavior (e.g., understanding psychological disorders, gender equality, child development).

Biopsychosocial Approach

• Integrates biological, psychological, and social-cultural perspectives.
• Distinguishes sex (biological) and gender (societal roles).
• Culture's influence shapes behavior and beliefs.
• Explores gender similarities and differences.
• Addresses the nature-nurture debate, emphasizing the interplay of genetics and experience.
• Epigenetics: experiences influence gene expression.
• Brain plasticity: capacity for learning and adaptation.
• Psychological events are also biological events.

Dual Processing

• Information is processed simultaneously on conscious and unconscious tracks.
• Example: vision operates on two tracks (perception and action).
• Thinking, memory, and attitudes also have conscious and unconscious components.

Clinical Psychology

• Counseling psychology: assists with problems in living and achieving well-being.
• Clinical psychology: studies, assesses, and treats psychological disorders.
• Psychiatry: branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders (may use medical treatments).
• Community psychology: studies interactions between people and their social environments.

Positive Psychology

• Focuses on human flourishing, positive emotions, and character traits.
• Aims to build a "good life" and a "meaningful life."
• Studies positive emotions (past satisfaction, present happiness, future optimism), positive character traits (creativity, courage, compassion etc.).

Research Methods

• Operational definition: carefully worded statement of procedures used in research.
• Replication: repeating research to confirm findings.
• Preregistration: encourages openness and transparency in research.
• Good theories: organize observations, predict outcomes, and are replicable.
• Research methods: descriptive, correlational, and experimental.

Descriptive Research Methods

• Case study: in-depth study of an individual or group. Limitations: may not generalize to larger populations.
• Naturalistic observation: observing behavior in natural settings without intervention. Limitations: does not explain behavior, only describes it.
• Survey: self-reported attitudes or behaviors obtained from a group. Important consideration: wording effects (how questions are phrased impacts results), random sampling is crucial for accurate representation.

Correlation

• Measures the extent to which two factors vary together (predictive ability).
• Correlation coefficient: ranges from -1.00 to +1.00 (0 = no correlation).
• Positive correlation: both variables increase/decrease together.
• Negative correlation: one variable increases while the other decreases.
• Correlation does not equal causation.

Experimental Methods

• Manipulates variables to observe effects.
• Random assignment: minimizes pre-existing differences between groups.
• Experimental group: receives the treatment.
• Allows for determination of cause-and-effect relationships.

Explore the evolution of psychology, focusing on critical thinking skills and the major branches such as structuralism and functionalism. This quiz covers key concepts, influential figures, and the significant findings in the field of psychology. Test your knowledge on how various psychological schools have shaped our understanding of mental processes.